Sole Source Certification Request Summary

This is a Sole Source Certification Request submitted by the USM/Gulf Coast Geospatial Center, a state agency in Mississippi, for airborne hyperspectral imagery services to map seagrass habitat along the Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida Gulf coasts. The project involves execution of a hyperspectral seagrass survey mission using specialized airborne equipment integrated with precise measurement systems and OEM-calibrated sensors. The acquisition is for one execution of the upcoming hyperspectral seagrass survey mission. The ITS Acquisition Approval (CP-1) is effective through 10/27/2025. The project must be completed with futures expiring 09/29/2025, and the acquisition has a maximum allowed duration of three years per request/project. The mission is seasonally time-sensitive, requiring airborne data collection to begin in early November to coincide with optimal seagrass growth and water clarity conditions. No specific site visit or bidder's conference information is documented in this request.

The total estimated project cost is $137,832 for Fiscal Year 26, with funding sourced entirely from federal funds through the Department of Commerce–NOAA (Fund Number: 16GFD 205004 02001 8007731) in the amount of $364,252.00. The requesting agency certifies this as a sole source acquisition because the specialized combination of sensor readiness, calibration currency, technical expertise, and immediate deployment capability is available only from the proposed vendor, Galileo. The agency conducted an extensive search of vendors capable of meeting the unique qualifications and experience in hyperspectral coastal and aquatic vegetation mapping and environmental assessment, determining that no other known vendors can satisfy all mission requirements within the seasonal window. The vendor's proposal has been submitted, and vendor's certification of sole source status has been attached. Certification must be renewed for each revision or continuation of previous sole source approvals. The certification was signed by David Sliman, CIO, on 10/17/25.